Month: April 2020

National Parks 2020: Kenai Fjords

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It’s time once again to explore more National Parks through yarny goodness. Over the past four years, we have explored the United States through its National Parks, and in 2020, we will have represented them all. Many of these are lesser-known National Parks, and we hope you spend some time exploring them through the links we’ve shared.

Check out our Socks on Vacay/Socks on Staycay summertime sock knitting collaboration with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-on-vacay-staycay-2020/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/

Where is Kenai Fjords National Park?

Kenai Fjords National Park is located just outside the town of Seward in south-central Alaska, 126 miles south of Anchorage.

Whose land does this National Park reside upon?

The Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) Native people survived here for centuries by following the natural rhythms of Kenai Fjords. They are a maritime people who traditionally hunted and subsisted on the outer Kenai Peninsula coast; they were able to adapt and survive for centuries in a place that later people would dismiss as rugged and inhospitable. Archeological evidence indicates they have used the Kenai Fjords area for more than 1,000 years. 

When was it established as a National Park?

December 2, 1980

Why is this park amazing?

At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords’ crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests around this vast expanse of ice. Sugpiaq people relied on these resources to nurture a life entwined with the sea. Today, shrinking glaciers bear witness to the effects of our changing climate.

Why did we choose these colors?

Sunset + water + Alaska beauty = yarny perfection.

For more information:

National Parks 2020: Biscayne National Park

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It’s time once again to explore more National Parks through yarny goodness. Over the past four years, we have explored the United States through its National Parks, and in 2020, we will have represented them all. Many of these are lesser-known National Parks, and we hope you spend some time exploring them through the links we’ve shared.

Check out our Socks on Vacay/Socks on Staycay summertime sock knitting collaboration with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-on-vacay-staycay-2020/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/

Where is this National Park located?

Biscayne National Park is located near Miami, Florida.

Whose land does this National Park reside upon?

This land was home to the Glades cultures (2500 years ago), and, as the continent was being overtaken by white settlers, the Tequesta, which, due to the fact that they didn’t have to rely heavily on agriculture for foodstuffs because of the bounty of the sea, was able to develop a more complex culture than many contemporary societies. You see, they had more time for leisure. As colonialists were arriving (and bringing their diseases), the Tequesta people were wiped out. Creeks heading to Florida from surrounding states gave rise to the Seminole and Miccosukee, who also resided in the Biscayne National Park area.

When was it established as a National Park?

June 28, 1980

Why is this park amazing?

95% of this park is covered by water! The park protects 72,000 acres of the northernmost range of the Florida Reef Tract. It’s home to many islands, some of which you can camp on, as well as over 600 native fish and 20 threatened and endangered species including sea turtles and manatees.

Why did we choose these colors?

The coral reefs of Biscayne National Park are breathtaking, and we knew we needed to capture the red-orange of the reefs against the blue-green of the ocean.

For more information:

National Parks 2020: Great Basin National Park

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It’s time once again to explore more National Parks through yarny goodness. Over the past four years, we have explored the United States through its National Parks, and in 2020, we will have represented them all. Many of these are lesser-known National Parks, and we hope you spend some time exploring them through the links we’ve shared.

Check out our Socks on Vacay/Socks on Staycay summertime sock knitting collaboration with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-on-vacay-staycay-2020/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/

Where is this National Park located?

Great Basin National Park is in eastern Nevada near the Utah border.

Whose land does this National Park reside upon?

Several distinct tribes have historically occupied the Great Basin; the modern descendents of these people are still here today. They are the Western Shoshone (a sub-group of the Shoshone), the Goshute, the Ute, the Paiute (often divided into Northern, Southern, and Owens Valley), and the Washoe.

When was it established as a National Park?

October 27, 1986

Why is this park amazing?

It’s in the Great Basin Desert and contains most of the South Snake mountains. In the north, the mountain-hugging Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive leads to towering Wheeler Peak. Nearby is one of several ancient bristlecone pine groves. The marble Lehman Caves have distinctive stalactites and other formations. Park wildlife includes bighorn sheep.

Why did we choose these colors?

We wanted to incorporate the sky, the fall leaves, the mountains, and the bristlecone pines in our Great Basin colorway. 

For more information:

National Parks 2020: Wind Cave National Park

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It’s time once again to explore more National Parks through yarny goodness. Over the past four years, we have explored the United States through its National Parks, and in 2020, we will have represented them all. Many of these are lesser-known National Parks, and we hope you spend some time exploring them through the links we’ve shared.

Check out our Socks on Vacay/Socks on Staycay summertime sock knitting collaboration with our friend Shannon Squire, too: https://shannonsquire.com/socks-on-vacay-staycay-2020/

Thanks for exploring parks and making socks with us once again this summer! To get your yarn, check out our list of LYS’s offering National Parks (Parks yarn will ONLY be available at our LYS partners through the summer): https://knittedwit.com/

Where is this National Park located?

Wind Cave National Park is located in the southwestern corner of South Dakota. 

Whose land does this National Park reside upon?

The land within Wind Cave National Park has historical, cultural, and spiritual meanings to many American Indians. The park consults with twenty tribal governments on major projects and plans. These tribes are: Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Fort Belknap Tribe, Fort Peck Tribe, Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Lower Sioux Indian Community, Northern Arapaho Tribe, Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council, Oglala Sioux Tribal Council, Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council, Santee Sioux Tribal Council, Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribal Council, Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council, Three Affiliate Tribes Business Council, and Yankton Sioux Tribe.

When was it established as a National Park?

January 9, 1903

Why is this park amazing?

Established in 1903 as the first national park dedicated to preserving a cave system, it was later expanded to preserve the unique and shrinking mixed-grass prairie habitat. We don’t have space to talk about all of the amazing cave structures that can be found at Wind Cave, but they are weird and wonderful and simply breathtaking. Check it out here: https://www.nps.gov/wica/learn/nature/cave-formations-speleothems.htm

Why did we choose these colors?

The colors of our Wind Cave yarn are inspired by the wide variation of colors in those wacky caves; it seems like it’s “just brown” until you look closer. 

For more information: